His accolades and team control will make this a costly acquisition for any team that wants to make a deal, but Ken Rosenthal pointed out that while he’s not being actively shopped, there may be a few teams bold enough to meet the A’s asking price that would be worthy of consideration.
Rosenthal also mentioned the Philadelphia Phillies, Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees, Seattle Mariners, and San Diego Padres as teams that could be crazy enough to pull something off.
So let’s take a look at what kind of a package it could take to land Miller with the defending World Series champion Dodgers.
Trade package to land Mason Miller in Los Angeles
The A’s could use upgrades to their pitching staff, both in terms of starters and relievers, but it’s unlikely that the A’s would try to fix their bullpen too much in exchange for their biggest trade chip.
That said, they’re not afraid to include an injured pitcher in a return package, and Kyle Hurt, out for the remainder of the season, could be a nice piece for that bullpen.
He had right elbow surgery back in March and is still recovering. When the 27-year-old returns, he appears slated to return as a relief pitcher next season. He’s a big strikeout guy, collecting 152 punch-outs in 92 innings back in 2023. He’s also prone for some walks. Hurt feels like the perfect flier piece for this trade.
Now let’s get to the big pieces.
The first key piece of a potential deal would be left-hander Jackson Ferris, the team’s No. 4 prospect on MLB Pipeline (No. 8 in Baseball America’s re-ranking).
He can touch 97 and gets good extension, and his five pitch mix makes him tough to barrel up.
The 21-year-old has a 4.74 ERA in Double-A this season, but he also holds a 49.5% ground ball rate, which is something that could be very attractive for the A’s.
Not only are they still figuring out their home ballpark in West Sacramento, but if things go according to plan, they’ll have a brand new ballpark in Las Vegas in 2028, and they won’t know how that park will play either.
Ground balls don’t leave the yard no matter where you’re playing. Ferris is the Dodgers’ top pitching prospect, and would have to be in this deal.
The other big piece for this one to work could be 23-year-old Alex Freeland, who is currently in Triple-A Oklahoma City. He has a lot of experience in the upper minors for his age, playing in 127 games already, and this year he’s hit 10 home runs, stolen 16 bases, and is batting .254 with a .377 on-base.
He’s projected for even more in-game power as he develops, and is rated well defensively, which is another area the A’s could stand to improve.
The one tricky part of this addition would be where the A’s would end up playing him. Jacob Wilson just started the All Star game as the American League’s shortstop, which is where Freeland is projected to fit long-term, but the Dodgers prospect has also collected time at second and third.
Max Muncy and Zack Gelof are slotted into those spots on the roster right now, but an addition of Freeland could change the A’s configuration a bit.
The A’s could also look to add another flier in this deal in left fielder Ryan Ward, who has hit 30+ home runs in Triple-A the past two seasons and currently has 26 for the club this year.
He can mash, and is striking out just 19.4% of the time while batting .314. He’s 27 years old currently, and is Rule 5 eligible.
If the A’s asked for him in this deal to see if they could find their next Brent Rooker, it’s hard to see the Dodgers nixing a deal for Miller because of him. Ward is a lefty bat and could serve as the team’s fourth outfielder to start.
No Hope of De Paula? What a steal!
The Dodgers two top prospects, Josue De Paula and Zyhir Hope, are both outfielders, and the A’s already have a problem on their hands with too many everyday outfielders to find playing time for, with more on the way.
While adding Hope or De Paula would certainly give them the best players available, they’re also a little further away from the big leagues, which is typically not how the A’s operate.
In their trades of Matt Olson and Sean Murphy, they added upper-minors talent (though it arguably didn’t work out for them). If the A’s were after one of the Dodgers top two talents–who don’t necessarily fit their needs–they’d also get less of a return in the process.
Going after Ferris and Freeland improves the club in the more near-term, and Hunt gives them an option in the bullpen with plenty of upside.
If things break right for the green and gold, Hurt could even be a closer option in due time, taking a similar path to Miller, from the rotation to the IL to the bullpen. Ward would be given an opportunity the rest of the way, and potentially a chance to make the club out of camp.
That all said, perhaps the Dodgers, who may be without Tanner Scott for a time, ante up and give the A’s whatever they ask for in order to help fix their bullpen situation. Mason Millers don’t grow on trees, after all.
